1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (PDP), and more particularly, to a PDP with improved discharge stability.
2. Discussion of the Background
Recently, plasma display apparatuses have become increasingly popular. Such display apparatuses have excellent characteristics such as high image quality and a wide viewing angle. Additionally, the display apparatuses may be thin and lightweight, and they can be simply manufactured to have large-sized screens. Therefore, they are being considered a next-generation large-sized flat display apparatus.
Plasma display panels (PDP) may be classified as direct current (DC) PDPs, alternating current (AC) type PDPs, and hybrid PDPs depending on applied discharge voltage characteristics. PDPs may also be divided into opposed discharge PDPs and surface-discharge PDPs depending on the discharge electrode structures. An AC PDP having a three-electrode surface-discharge structure has been typically employed.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional AC PDP 100 having a three-electrode surface-discharge structure.
Referring to FIG. 1, the PDP 100 includes an upper plate 110 and a lower plate 120.
The upper plate 110 may include a front substrate 111, common electrodes 112, which may be formed on a lower surface of the front substrate 111, scanning electrodes 113, which form discharge gaps in cooperation with the common electrodes 112, a first dielectric layer 114 covering the common electrodes 112 and the scanning electrodes 113, and a protective layer 115 covering the first dielectric layer 114.
The lower plate 120 may include a rear substrate 121, address electrodes 122, which may be disposed on the rear substrate 121 extending in a direction intersecting the common electrodes 112 and the scanning electrodes 113, a second dielectric layer 123 covering the address electrodes 122, partition walls 128, which are formed on an upper surface of the second dielectric layer 123 and define discharge spaces 125, fluorescent layers 126 formed inside discharge cells 125, and a discharge gas (not shown) filled within the discharge cells 125.
In the conventional three-electrode surface-discharge PDP 100 of FIG. 1, the scanning and common electrodes 113, 112, the first dielectric layer 114, and the protective layer 115 absorb about 40% of the otherwise visible light emitted from the discharge cell, thereby decreasing luminous efficiency.
A technology, developed by Noritake Co., Ltd, Japan, for overcoming this problem is disclosed in the 2003 Digest of the International Meeting on Information Display and Exhibition (IMID'03 DIGEST), pages 401-406. A pair of discharge electrodes may be disposed opposite to each other in a discharge cell in order to increase an opening ratio of the front substrate and increase a discharge area and discharge efficiency by the opposing discharge.
However, since the discharge electrodes may be disposed relatively far away from each other, a higher discharge voltage may be required and the discharge stability may deteriorate.